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The United States Government Questions Apple Over Slowing Down Phones

Apple is in some hot water not just with their customers, but now even with the United States government over actions that they have admitted to taking to slow down older versions of the iPhone product that they produce.

Whenever a new iPhone was released to the market, some customers started to notice that their version of the phone started to slow down or otherwise act abnormally. Customers started to cry foul, but some wondered if it was all just in their heads. Was it really possible that one of the largest companies in the world was slowing down their beloved handheld device? It did seem a little farfetched at first. However, Apple did finally come out and admit that yes in fact they had been tinkering with the older iPhones. They even went so far as to offer an apology of sorts.

CNBC is now reporting that the government has taken steps to probe the situation with Apple and slowing down their phones. The Department of Justice is currently looking into what exactly happened with this situation. It is still early days in the investigation, and there is no telling what might come out of it. Anything from a warning to a hefty fine are possibilities.

Apple has responded to all of the attention that it has received as a result of this dust-up by offering a new software update to be released in the Spring. That new update would give iPhone users more control over their phones and the battery life that they use up. Apple still contends that what it was doing was for the betterment of the older iPhone models that are out there. They also say that while they are going to offer the option to turn off the process of having the phone slowed down automatically, they do not recommend that users choose this option.

The Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission were both not commenting on the story as it involves an open investigation. Apple has lowered the cost of getting an updated battery for the iPhone 6 model down from $79 to $29 in response to all of the criticism that they have been enduring. How the rest of this story works itself out is still yet to be seen.